I had my first sip of my first cup at the College Avenue Peet's, which, if I remember correctly, was not the first, but the second Peet's location. I was doing construction work for a homeless man who read great books while dressed like a cowboy and lived out of his station wagon and paid me in cash from a stash in his belt.
It was magical. There is something about the equipment they use that simply can't be matched, even with the beans you bring home. The coffee brewed there always has these little bubbles on the top. And when I sip from their cups, a little drop of coffee love often splashes on to the tip my nose through the tiny hole in the lid for air intake- and it makes me giggle a little with joy every time. I have owned some fantastic coffee makers over the years, and unfortunately, none have ever been able to match the cup of liquid perfection they server in the stores themselves.
Now, can you see the difference between the two bags of coffee in this picture? I bet Laurie can.
I don't want to be known as a coffee snob or anything, but despite their similarities, I can tell the difference between a pot brewed from the bag on the left and a pot brewed from the bag on the right.
The bag on the left is Garuda blend, ground on four (for automatic drip ecstasy as well as an acceptable espresso) purchased at a Peet's location. It was ground and bagged with love by a cute young employee at the Peet's in downtown Santa Rosa. The bag on the right is filled with Garuda blend whole beans purchased at my local market.
Now, Garuda blend is my personal favorite of the beans the regularly have in stock. They occasionally come out with some small batches of specialty coffee that are "better" in that they are a different sort of wonderful - there's something to be said for variety among high quality products. But Garuda is my tried and true everyday favorite. I should rephrase that - I don't drink Garuda every day, I try to save it for those days when I need a little reward.
Anyway - In theory, the just ground beans should taste better than the pre-ground ones. But they don't. That's the general rule - the best coffee comes from freshly ground beans. Freeze your ground coffee, store your beans in a canister, right? Everyone knows that. Well, OK, not everyone. But Laurie does.
So how do you account for this? I would like to attribute it somehow to the cuteness of the server. But I have also had beans ground and bagged by much less well kempt, not particularly attractive people, and the results are the same. On that note - is there some law that says if you get paid to operate a commercial espresso machine, you must have tattoos?
Anyway - I can't explain why the one bag tastes better than the other. And the only way to explain the unexplainable is to attribute it to magic.
To sum up:
Peet's coffee (any variety) brewed at Peet's = Coffee Nirvana
Peet's coffee ground, bagged, and purchased at Peet's = Some kind of wonderful
Peet's coffee whole beans purchased at a market, freshly ground at home = Still wonderful, but I wish I could find the time to drive over the hill to get some from the store and drink a fresh cup on the way home.
Peet's coffee bought pre-ground from the market = A fine cup of Joe, but a far cry from Coffee Nirvana.
Anything else is a last resort for me. Except for Starbuck's which is never an option.
Oh, except for that one time.
Oh, also, you know how when you buy a new car, you tend to see that kind of car everywhere you go? We recently purchased that coffee maker, and I've been seeing it in weird places - an advertisement for Marriott Rewards, and last night at the end of Criminal Minds. I made Rachel rewind so I could show her.And I might get around to a post about my thoughts on DirectTV, but just in case I don't, I want you to know that I think they suck.
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